“That was shitty. I’m not claiming that they are saints. I’m just saying that they aren’t as bad as everyone thinks.” Another lie.
A knock at the door startles me. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later, I promise.” Ending the call, I set my phone down and straighten myself up on the bed with my feet pressed to the floor.
I don’t respond because whoever it is will likely just come in whether they are invited or not. They said it themselves; I belong to them now.
The door opens, and Talon steps inside, shutting it behind him. “Are you hungry?”
I shake my head no, but it’s a lie. I’m starving. I’m just not sure that I’m hungry enough to risk eating whatever he plans to serve me. Soup with a side of a date rape drug—no thanks.
“You haven’t eaten all day. The chef is gone for the night, but I ordered pizza. Come eat.” His hair shimmers on the ends, and it’s obvious he just stepped out of the shower.
Curling my legs up and tucking them to my chest, I rest my chin on my knee. “I said I’m not hungry.”
“And once again, you’re lying.” His footsteps come closer, and my body tenses up, hugging my legs tighter. Kneeling in front of me, his index finger slides between my knee and my chin and he pushes up so that my eyes are level with his. “You need to eat.”
Closing my eyes, I fight the tears that I feel coming. I’m emotionally and physically drained and it’s only day one. I open them, hoping that he will be gone, but he’s still there. Still touching my face.
A single tear slides down and his finger trails along my cheek, sweeping it up. “Don’t cry.”
Twisting my body away from him, I turn to face the wall. “What do you care if I cry? That’s what you want, isn’t it? To break me?”
“Not at all. My plan isn’t to break you, but to build you up. You’re one of us now, Marni. We’re all in this together.”
For a single moment, looking back at him, I believe his words. But that moment passes quickly when I remember everything him and his merry band of psychos have done in the past twenty-four hours: framed me for murder, forced me to push Josh’s car off a cliff, threatened me, assaulted me. “Now who’s lying?”
The back of his hand finds my cheek and the way he moves it so gently, so effortlessly, has my body relaxing. Warmth radiates from his touch and I despise that he has this effect on me. “No lies,” he whispers quietly. His eyes skate down to my lips. I lick them instinctively then fold them between my teeth. “Tell me, Marni—what would you do if I kissed you? Would you fight me or would you let me?”
Internally, my lips are begging to feel his press against them; they’re screaming for his touch. Shifting my whole body back around, I let my legs fall on either side of him, caging him in. I hate him so much, but my body loves him. It craves him, and right now, it’s taking control. Falling back onto my elbows, I give him a nudge with my feet until his hands are pressed on the bed at my sides.
When I scoot up, he crawls toward me. The magnetic pull between us is too strong when his lips crash into mine. I’m not sure if it’s the emotional trauma I feel or just the need to be noticed in a way that doesn’t involve crude remarks and aggression, but whatever it is, I take it all. His tongue seduces my mouth, slithering in as I taste the vile words he’s said to me. All the lies. The secrets. The hate. All the bottled-up tension pours into my mouth and I reciprocate by giving him every bit of my disgust. Bringing one hand to the back of his head, I fist his hair and force his mouth harder into mine as his cock grinds against my thigh.
When his fingers snake down my side, leaving a trail of goosebumps, reality hits me smack dab in the face. “Talon, we can’t,” I mutter into his mouth.
“Sure we can.” He begins pushing my shorts down, then sits up to pull them off. Both legs slide free and when he begins tracing his finger along the line of my underwear, my hand slaps over his. “Don’t fight it. I know you want this.”
God, I want him so badly, but at what cost? So tomorrow he can push me around some more. Make me destroy more evidence, while incriminating myself further. “No,” I shake my head, “Not until you start treating me with respect. I’m not your little toy.”
His lips curl at the seams before he presses them hard against mine with a closed mouth. So hard that I can feel his teeth grind against mine through the skin of our lips. Pushing himself up, his black orbs stare back at mine while he takes my hand into his and presses it down between us. Sliding underneath my panties, he curls my fingers inward. “You like to touch yourself, don’t you?” His face nuzzles into the nape of my neck and his hot breath sends chills down my spine. With his fingers shadowing mine, he presses them against my entrance. “Answer me.”
My entire body floods with humiliation and I know that no matter how I answer this question, he is only going to try and humiliate me further. He’s admitted that he’s watched me. “It’s not like that.” I force the words out.
“Then tell me how it is.” His hard cock grinds against my leg as he pushes my index and middle fingers inside of me. “Talon, please.”
“Please, what? Please stop?”
Yes. No. I don’t know.
Will he ridicule me for not stopping him? Choke me for not sticking up for myself? I’m not sure I even want him to stop. My body and mind are at war, and when his fingers press against my knuckles, forcing my fingers to slide in and out, my body wins.
“You like it, don’t you? You like the attention? That’s why you do it, because you like knowing that all those eyes are on you. Watching while you get yourself off.”
My heart pounds on the inside of my chest. I want to fucking scream, but I’m silenced by the way he’s making me feel. The way I’m making myself feel.
Straightening his back, he gets up on his knees. When he lets my hand go, I pull it back and drop it to my side. “What are you doing?” I ask, when he begins sliding my panties off.
“Don’t worry. I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.” He tosses them to the side and then proceeds to lift my shirt over my head. I took my bra off as soon as I came in the room to lie down, and now I’m laying here, in this bed, stark naked with his eyes dancing over every inch of my body. “Show me how you like it.” He takes a step back and slides his pants down along with his boxers. His rock-hard cock sticks straight out and I can’t help but wonder if all of these guys are well-endowed. “I’ll do it, too.” He begins stroking his hand back and forth.
Trembling, I slide my hand back down but quickly retreat. “No, I can’t.”
“Don’t be shy, baby. There’s nothing wrong with making yourself feel good.”
No, there’s not. But not like this.
Walking back over to the bed, he grabs my hand and pushes my fingers back toward my entrance. My hormones take control when he begins stroking his cock again as he stands over me. Tingles course through me and every pulse point throbs as temptation stares back at me.
Dropping my head back, I close my eyes. Wanting this. Needing this. I slowly trail the back side of my fingers down my breast then over my stomach. Turning my hand around, I begin touching my clit with little pressure.